CUMS News
CUMS gets 4 star review in the Evening Standard
Wed 24th June 2009
Click here for the full review
"It was good, nevertheless, to have the opportunity to hear such a large-scale piece (this was its London premiere) and to have it performed by forces as distinguished as these, under Stephen Cleobury."
NEW CUMS ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP TEAM UNVEILED: SIR ROGER NORRINGTON APPOINTED PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR
Mon 4th May 2009
Sir Roger Norrington, one of the most distinguished British conductors of his generation, has been appointed as Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor of CUMS from the end of the 2008-09 academic year. Sir Roger has worked with many of the great orchestras, choirs and opera houses of the world. He conducted last year's memorable Last Night of the Proms, fronted the recent television series "Maestro", and has released hundreds of recordings during the course of his career. Sir Roger's first performance with CUMS will be Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem on 12 June 2010 in King's College Chapel.
With advice from Sir Roger The Society will in due course appoint a young professional orchestral conductor to take on a new role as Orchestra Director. He or she will work alongside Sir Roger to develop significantly Cambridge's provision of opportunities for orchestral players over the coming years.
Stephen Cleobury, who will be stepping down from his current position as The Society's Principal Conductor in June after 27 years at the helm, has accepted the CUMS Committee's invitation to retain an involvement with The Society in the new position of Chorus Director. In his new role Cleobury will focus his energies specifically on developing The Society's programme of choral music.
A "Great Conductors" series of concerts will be launched from the 2009-10 academic year, with the objective of bringing a succession of world-class orchestral conductors to work with Cambridge students over the coming years. Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Principal Guest Conductor of the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, will open the series in March 2010, and it will continue with Norrington's visit in June.
Commenting on these developments, CUMS Chairman Simon Fairclough said "I am thrilled to unveil our new artistic leadership team. Sir Roger is one of the great orchestral conductors of our time, and I am delighted that he has agreed to become involved with Cambridge music-making on an ongoing basis. Stephen is renowned as one of the world's foremost choral conductors, and I am hugely grateful to him for his continuing loyalty and dedication to CUMS. Our Great Conductors series will expose Cambridge students to a range of orchestral conductors of the highest calibre on an ongoing basis. We are entering what promises to be a golden age of great music and great musicians."
SPECIAL EVENT - COME & SING WITH SIR DAVID WILLCOCKS IN KING'S CHAPEL
Fri 6th March 2009
Saturday 9 May 1.30 - 5
All welcome!
Fauré Requiem and Stanford Beati quorum + Justorum animae
Click here for details and to download registration form
David Willcocks will be signing copies of his recent book "A Life in Music" at this event.
CUMS Seeks Orchestral and Marketing Manager for 2009/10
Thu 19th February 2009
The Cambridge University Music Society is seeking potential candidates for the position of orchestral manager for the academic year 2009/10. The appointed candidate would be working primarily with CUMS I, the University's top Symphony Orchestra, gaining a great deal of professional experience in artistic management. They would also be responsible for CUMS Marketing and Publicity (although we can consider splitting the two roles between two people).
Orchestra manager role
As ever, the orchestra has an increasingly exciting and challenging programme of music and events in the coming year, and the right candidate would be working at the very front of the music making with the orchestra. The position would include various roles from day to day management, to programme editing and publicity, as well as providing further administrative support to CUMS e.g., in publicity and organising auditions, conductor competitions.
Marketing manager
CUMS has five ensembles, all of which require strong marketing and publicity to attract members and audiences. The candidate would perform this role which, this year, took approximately 180 hours.
It may be possible to split the job between two candidates - so the time commitment and exact roles are varied and open to negotiation. CUMS is able to offer a stipend for the year, which will equate to approximately £10 per hour. We anticipate that a minimum of 540 hours in total will be required - but it could be as much as 900 hours.
At this point in time, we would like to hear from potential candidates so that we can jointly discuss the scope of activities and number of hours required. If you'd like to know more, or to express possible interest, please contact Mark Austin (ma371@cam.ac.uk), the CUMS Orchestral Manager, or Jo Whitehead, CUMS Vice Chairman (jo.whitehead@ashridge.org.uk).
CUMS AGM 2009
Thu 5th February 2009
The CUMS AGM 2009 is on Thursday 19th February after the chorus rehearsal at 9.45pm in St Andrew's Street Baptist Church
Online Booking!
Tue 20th January 2009
You can now book online for most of our concerts by clicking here:
CUMS CONDUCTING COMPETITION 2009
Mon 12th January 2009
We are pleased to announce the repertoire for the first round will be Brahms, Variations on a Theme of Haydn (op. 56a) and for the second round Elgar, Sea Pictures.
Candidates will be asked individually to prepare a specific extract of each piece.
CUMS Concerto Competition 2009
Wed 7th January 2009
Applications are invited for the opportunity to perform a concerto with CUMS I, CUMS II or CUWO in the academic year 2009-10. Applicants must be in statu pupillari at Cambridge University for that period.
Auditions will be held during the afternoons of 3rd and 4th March (1-4pm). Candidates are asked to prepare a short sequence of music (one or more pieces) lasting no more than 10 minutes to perform to the panel. No accompanist will be provided; candidates are invited to bring their own. The panel may also conduct a brief interview with each candidate.
Candidates should bring a copy of the music to be played for the use of the panel. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.
The panel is chaired by Stephen Cleobury, and will include a number of other professional musicians.
Candidates should send their CV, together with a formal letter of application, by email to Mark Austin, CUMS Orchestral Manager, by midnight on Sunday 15th February. Application documents should be emailed to ma371@cam.ac.uk
Please note: applications received after this date will not be considered.
CUMS Conducting Competition 2009
Tue 6th January 2009
Applications are invited for opportunities to conduct CUMS I, CUMS II and CUWO in the academic year 2009-10. Applicants must be in statu pupillari at Cambridge University for that period.
There will be two rounds in the competition. For the first, to be held on the afternoon of 6th February (1-4pm), candidates will be asked to conduct a piano duet, and complete a written aural and musicianship test.
Candidates who progress to the second round, to be held on 10th February (7.30-10.30pm), will be asked to rehearse extracts of selected pieces for a short period with CUMS I. In the days following this, some candidates may be asked to attend a further short interview. No conclusions as to the eventual choice of conductors should be drawn from this; selection for an extra interview does not indicate further progress in the competition.
The repertoire for the auditions will be announced on Monday 12th January.
The panel is chaired by Stephen Cleobury, and will include a number of other experienced professional musicians, as well as student representatives from the three ensembles.
Candidates should send their CV, together with a formal letter of application, by email to Mark Austin, CUMS Orchestral Manager, by midnight on Sunday 18th January. Application documents should be emailed to ma371@cam.ac.uk
Please note: applications received after this date will not be considered.
CUMS CHORAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION 2008/9
Mon 1st December 2008
CUMS CHORAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION 2008/9
Winner: Tom Kimber: "The Harvest Moon" (Ted Hughes)
Highly Commended: Sunil Manohar: "It is the hour when from the boughs" (Byron)
The winning composition will be performed by CUMS Chorus under the direction of Tim Brown on Saturday 7th March 2009 in Trinity Chapel
Professor Sir Brian Pippard, President of CUMS, 7 September 1920 - 21 September 2008
Thu 25th September 2008
CUMS is very sorry to report the death of its President, the distinguished physicist and pianist Sir Brian Pippard.
Sir Brian, who died on Sunday at the age of 88, was formerly President of Clare Hall and Cavendish Professor of Physics. He succeeded Lord Broers as President of CUMS in 2003, and since that time he has quietly but generously supported The Society's activities. He took great delight in meeting CUMS members at The Society's annual dinners, and provided particularly invaluable assistance in the organisation of the Cambridge Tsunami Relief Concert in 2005. He will be sorely missed by members of CUMS who offer their condolences to his wife Charlotte and to their three daughters.
Links to Sir Brian's obituaries are provided below: The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/24/physics.peopleinscience] The Daily Telegraph [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3069588/Professor-Sir-Brian-Pippard.html] University of Cambridge [http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2008092302]
CUMS 2008/9 Auditions now online
Tue 9th September 2008
You can now book your auditions online for 2008/9! Simply visit http://www.cums.org.uk/admin to begin.
Amendment to 'Come and Sing'
Tue 9th September 2008
We apologise for any confusion caused; the CUMS Chorus 'Come and Sing' will take place on 11/10/2008 at 13.15pm in Clare Chapel.
New Website
Tue 26th August 2008
We are proud to announce our new website! We aim to bring you even more information, news and events in our 2008/9 season. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact Dan Hill (dnh22@cam.ac.uk).
CUMS Seeks Orchestral Manager for 2008-9
Tue 1st April 2008
The Cambridge University Music Society is seeking potential candidates for the position of orchestral manager for the academic year 2008-9. The appointed candidate would be working primarily with CUMS I, the University's top symphony orchestra, gaining a great deal of professional experience in artistic management.
As ever, the orchestra has an increasingly exciting and challenging programme of music and events in the coming year, and the right candidate would be working at the very front of the music making with the orchestra. The position would include various roles from day to day management, to programme editing and publicity, as well as providing further administrative support to CUMS e.g., in publicity and organising auditions, conductor competitions.
It may be possible to split the job between two candidates - so the time commitment and exact roles are varied and open to negotiation. CUMS is able to offer a stipend for the year, which will equate to approximately £9 per hour.
At this point in time, we would like to hear from potential candidates so that we can jointly discuss the scope of activities and number of hours required. If you'd like to know more, or to express possible interest, please contact Dan Hill, the CUMS Orchestral Manager, or Simon Fairclough, CUMS Chairman.
Launch of the CUMS Supporters' Circle
Fri 1st February 2008
The CUMS Supporters' Circle - a new group for friends who value the Society's work and wish to contribute towards its future - was launched at a landmark performance of Verdi's Requiem by CUMS I and six Cambridge college choirs on 19 January 2008. Click here to find out about the Circle.
Conducting Competition 2007-8
Sat 1st December 2007
Conductors are invited to apply for one of the CUMS conducting positions for 2008-9. Deadline for application: Sunday 27th January 2008.
Concerto Competition 2007-8
Sat 1st December 2007
CUMS invites instrumentalists who will be in statu pupillari during the academic year 2008-9 to audition for a chance to play a concerto with one of the orchestras. Deadline for application: Sunday 27th January 2008.
Retirement of Stephen Cleobury as conductor of CUMS
Mon 18th June 2007
Announcement from CUMS Chairman, Simon Fairclough
At its meeting on 18th June, the CUMS Committee voted unanimously to extend Stephen Cleobury's current term of office by seven months from November 2008 to June 2009, so as to enable him to oversee The Society's contributions to the University's 800th anniversary celebrations in the 2008-09 academic year.
Stephen has informed the Committee that he will not be seeking re-election to his current post beyond that time.
Stephen's contribution to the CUMS and Cambridge music since 1982 has been truly incalculable, and his leadership will be sorely missed. The Society will have many opportunities to express its gratitude to him over the next two seasons, and it is hoped that Stephen will be able to play a continuing role in the life of The Society beyond his retirement as Conductor.
There are times in the history of any organisation when it becomes important to give thought to what the future should hold. By 2009, Stephen will have been CUMS Conductor for 27 years, and his decision to step down provides an important opportunity to consider some fundamental issues relating to the future development of The Society.
Over the coming months, the Committee will be actively soliciting the views of interested parties - CUMS members, Cambridge musicians and the University community more broadly - in order to draw up a vision for the future. In the first instance, those interested in contributing to this process are invited to contact the Chairman, Simon Fairclough, or Vice Chairman, Jo Whitehead.
Simon Fairclough
Chairman, Cambridge University Musical Society
18th June 2007
Composition Competition
Thu 1st March 2007
The composition competition resulted in joint winners: David Curington's Session and Ed Nesbit's Piece for Orchestra.